one irony, today is the day that 40 years ago today, lyndon johnson died. i think he would have recognized and probably admired that speech yesterday very much. and i think one way of understanding it is to look at it as a reply to ronald reagan in 1981. in the same place ronald reagan got up and said government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem. yesterday was sort of not only a response to that but almost a bookend as reagan moved the country in a conservative direction. barack obama obviously hopes to move it in a liberal direction. >> the "new york times" editorial had this to say. mr. obama is smart enough to know that what he wants to achieve in his second term must be done in the next two years, perhaps even the first 18 months. there is no doubt that mr. obama has the ambition and intellect to place himself in the first rank of presidents. with this speech, he has made a forceful argument for a progressive agenda that meets the nation's needs. we hope he has the political will and tactical instincts to carry it out. lot of